If that new year resolution to slim down is looking like a distant memory, don’t give up just yet.
Instead, you could simply try tucking into some pomegranates.
The fruity superfood has already been credited with several health benefits but now it has another – it could work as a diet aid.
Regularly consuming an extract consisting of the skin, pith and seeds of the sweet treat can reduce hunger pangs while increasing the feeling of being full.
Volunteers who took an extract called PurePlus for three weeks were presented with a pasta meal by researchers at Edinburgh’s Queen Margaret University.
They ate 22 per cent less than a control group in the study and reported having less of an appetite, feeling fuller and rating their food as tastier.
The researchers plan a further study to investigate the ‘satiety’ effect.
One theory is the pomegranate extract contains polyphenols that are thought to act as an appetite suppressant.
Past studies have suggested the fruit can help with everything from lowering blood pressure, combating heart disease and slowing middle-age spread.
The study’s leader, Dr Emad al-Dujaili, said: ‘These results indicate that pomegranate extract consumption may have the potential to assist in the challenge of reducing risk factors for overweight and obesity.’